Unwanted deferred place - clearing 2025?

[JazzieC]

DS is taking a gap year and has deferred a place at Nottingham Trent uni to do Business with BBC results. He has now changed his mind about Nottingham Trent and may also be rethinking the subject he studies.

Please could anyone advise on the best way to approach this? Should he turn down his offer now and re-apply or wait until clearing is open and then turn down his offer? If clearing is an option should he wait until results day or try when it opens in June?

Clearing feels risky, but there seemed to be a lot of good unis offering at lower grades last year so if it is an option it might be worth it?

I suppose he can withdraw, reapply (including the applying to the place he has an unconditional offer for…if not totally against it and wavering) and see what he gets. I think he’d also have an option to go into Clearing in the summer. Can someone confirm if that is correct if someone has firmed and been made unconditional because of grades in hand.

I think he will be able to do that…see what is available at his grades after results day. He can get provisional offers by phone and email and then if he wants to go ahead can decline the existing firmed and confirmed unconditional by rejecting on ucas.

I think that many places will lower the grades accepted after results. They might iffer to a candidate with grades in hand now, but you might get more of a ‘bargain’ after results day, when unis are keen to fill their places and wilbmore flexible with what they will accept, than at this point when most grade outcomes are unknown.

@JazzieC my Ds is on a gap year with BBC achieved. I think gap years are great as they allow for a change of direction. Ds didn’t apply last year but he’d been set on applying for Real Estate this year. He’s only recently decided he’d much rather do PPE/Politics and Economics.

He’s applied (after unis closed for Christmas so no offers yet) to one ABB, two BBB and one BBC. He contacted one of the BBB course leaders and they said he’s highly likely to get an offer. Looking at UCAS all the courses accepted some candidates on lower grades than BBC in previous years. We’ll see whether he gets offers.

Our thinking is that he’ll still potentially have more options in clearing but there’s no harm in getting a firm offer now.